Non-Toxic Avenger

"Most of us turn a blind eye to the startling array of chemicals lurking in everything from shampoo to baby bottles to the money in our wallets, choosing to believe that government agencies ensure the safety of the products we wear, use, ingest, and breathe in daily. Yet the standards for product safety in North America lag far behind those of other countries. We frequently hear that a substance we've relied on for years turns out to have serious effects on our health, the environment, or both.

After coming to terms with the fact that the autism and cancer which had impacted her family were most likely the result of environmental toxins, author Deanna Duke undertook a mission to dramatically reduce her family's chemical exposure. She committed to drastically reducing the levels of all known chemicals in both her home and work environments, using the help of body burden testing to see what effect, if any, she was able to have on the level of toxins in her body.

Follow Deanna's journey as she uncovers how insidious and invasive environmental toxins are. Learn about your day-to-day chemical exposure, the implications for your health, and what you can do about it. And find out whether the author's quest is mission impossible, or whether she is ultimately able to improve her family's health by taking steps towards leading a chemical-free life."

"Deanna's toxin-free experiment seemed radical to me at first. As a busy mother and appreciator of modern conveniences, I had my doubts how anyone in our society could go without so many products that make our lives easier: everything from shampoos to deodorants to drain cleaners. I wound up being riveted as I read Deanna's account of peeling back the layers of all the toxin-containing products in her life, and I learned a great deal about looking a little closer at the things we humans surround, slather, coat, and feed ourselves with. The beauty of this book is that readers can apply Deanna's nontoxic avenging in small or large ways, taking as tiny or as enormous a step as they like. Either way, it's an eye-opener."
-Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

"There are a lot of things in this book you probably think you'd rather not know. Not knowing, however, doesn't reduce your risk or improve your life. Deanna Duke is brave enough to want to know, and wise enough to give us the information we truly need in a way that enriches. This is an important, funny, wonderful and courageous book that you truly do want to read."
-Sharon Astyk, author of Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front

"It takes a brave soul to peel back the veil and uncover all the toxic secrets in our modern lives. Deanna bares hers to us with humility and complete candor, comprehensively analyzing her every belonging and action as she attempts to detoxify her life and body. But, this book is much more than just her personal story, it's also a helpful guide for any person wanting to become a Non-Toxic Avenger. It will make you laugh, and cry, and - most importantly - look at your own life with a heightened degree of consciousness."
-Janelle Sorensen, Chief Communications Officer, Healthy Child Healthy World

"The Non-Toxic Avenger is not a hard-core prescription against toxic chemicals but rather an insightful (and humorous!) look into the challenges of "clean" living in a world without meaningful chemical regulations."
-Micaela Preston, author of Practically Green: Your Guide to EcoFriendly Decision-Making

Our safety standards for toxic chemicals here in NZ are also pretty lax. I am just beginning my journey into learning about the toxic chemicals that were lurking in our home, but there have already been a few eye openers!